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Its the content that is based on ignorance and attachment, negativity.

Many people are very mindful and disciplined about maintaining exactly what they don't want.

Laws of attraction and agreement would suggest we manifest whatever we focus on.

The unconscious cannot negate. Its a language/suggestion thing.

Beware what you tell yourself not to do.

Thoughts?

Being present and negative as in phobias etc. I agree and also that the content is based on ignorance, attatchment, negativity.

Disciplined? This is where I differentiate and find it's time to distinguish me spiritually from the mind.

Thus the discipline is indeed me holding on to it, keeping it, using it to justify whatever. Hence all meditations basically are about spiritual concentration and letting go of such negative thoughts, the negative mind.

Thus also we come to a spiritual way of mindfulness. That is following principles of goodness, love, kindness and thus the good effects of actions. When the effects are not good then the review is in order, both spiritual and mental.

So once again it's about how 'deep' or advanced we take the discipline or mindfulness, to what degree.

Indeed there's much we tell ourselves not to do, can't do, must do, etc. We build our own prisons through non-acceptance etc. We believe many things suggested to us thus belief becomes another part of the mind and may also be a nutty belief. Thus the need to spiritually wake up and and let go of that mind for this is what is meant by zen.

Zen is spiritually being in the now, thus we must first admit that a lot of the time we are not even here and thus the mind has full control.

You mention a lot in a short few sentences, I like it. These things I all take time and discipline to understand more and more like 'the law of attraction' and 'agreement'

All fascinating stuff. Personally I see the law of attraction stemming from complete non-resistance and natural or universal agreement stemming from love or unconditional love.

Aikido thus for me is a good way of expressing these things and testing them for real.

Disciplines and concepts for example are words used a lot but what as?

Using love as a set rule with no excuses would be a discipline for example. Using principles which fit love and unerringly following those principles would be a discipline.

Then we come to concepts. Concepts aren't ideas, they're not just thoughts, they're not things someone said. How many differentiate to that degree. In fact that's the art of communication is it not? To get the receiver to have a conceptual understanding of what you are saying.

So for me you can have data, ideas, beliefs, considerations, and all kinds in the mind and thus mental, but until spirit gets involved and differentiates to a conceptual understanding then it's pretty useless stuff. In fact when you finally conceptually understood how to tie your shoe lace for example then you didn't need the mind to refer to. Now all you had to do was improve your skill.

Hence I always say spiritual disciplines and concepts myself.

Well, you did ask for my thoughts. Hope they're at least interesting.(ha ha)

Hi Lynn
thanks for the excellent column. An interesting subject and some fun conversations.
Doing Aikido mindfully, an interesting concept.

My understanding on doing things mindfully comes from a Buddhist weekend retreat, where one of the many things we were asked to do was to do everything mindfully. By this they meant be present in what you are doing and focus on the task in hand. So if you were washing the dishes, that is all you did. You were not thinking it was warm outside, the water was too hot, what am I doing next, I am not allowed to talk etc, you just did the task. On this task and other simple tasks, acting mindfully was difficult to do because I was not use to it, but it was made possible, because I was competent at the tasks anyway so did not have to think how to wash, clean, eat etc.

However when it comes to Aikido, acting mindfully is more of a challenge. I definitely feel that I am present and generally when I am in the dojo, the problems of the outside world are forgotten about.
I am usually focusing on the technique I am supposed to do, but whilst doing that my monkey mind is asking such questions as, why is this not working (or working), the attack is too slow/fast/weak/strong, they are too big/small/just right, did I turn too much/too little, ouch my elbow/wrist/knee hurts etc...
I know the basics of the techniques but every time is different, and the interactions are complex so it is possible to be really mindful.
Was going to try and be mindful yesterday but was playing with weapons so although I was concentrating a lot, I do think I was mindful.
I will have to experiment again tomorrow.
Thanks again
regards
David

Well, you did ask for my thoughts. Hope they're at least interesting.(ha ha)

IMHO, the underlying purpose of writing a column is not to express my end-all be-all perception on the topic, but to be a catalyst for conversation to learn more.

A lot of what we have been talking about is the accuracy of the words we use when we talk about something, and how important it is to choose those words wisely.

Yet, we each have some of our own personal experience that we use in the transderivational search to make sense of other's word through our own relevance. Too often leading to miscommunication and misunderstandings. Other times, leading to deeper introspection and insight.

Thoughts? (Yes, I am always asking.)

Lynn Seiser PhD
Yondan Aikido & FMA/JKD
We do not rise to the level of our expectations, but fall to the level of our training. Train well. KWATZ!

Doing Aikido mindfully, an interesting concept. My understanding on doing things mindfully comes from a Buddhist weekend retreat, where one of the many things we were asked to do was to do everything mindfully.

Welcome.

While I know O'Sensei was not Buddhist, I too often use this frame of reference of reference.

IMHO, its similar to the idea that meditation comes sequentially after relaxation, concentration, and contemplation.

When asked about cross training I often say when you do Aikido just do Aikido when you do the other arts just do the other arts. Let them integrate on their own.

I see many people practicing mind-full (with a lot on their minds other than Aikido) and mind-less (being blank as in brain dead), but I don't see many practice mindfully (intelligently consciously present).

So I see a higher level of training when one is physically intent congruent with their mental intent.

Thanks for reading and responding.

Thoughts?

Lynn Seiser PhD
Yondan Aikido & FMA/JKD
We do not rise to the level of our expectations, but fall to the level of our training. Train well. KWATZ!

IMHO, the underlying purpose of writing a column is not to express my end-all be-all perception on the topic, but to be a catalyst for conversation to learn more.

A lot of what we have been talking about is the accuracy of the words we use when we talk about something, and how important it is to choose those words wisely.

Yet, we each have some of our own personal experience that we use in the transderivational search to make sense of other's word through our own relevance. Too often leading to miscommunication and misunderstandings. Other times, leading to deeper introspection and insight.

Thoughts? (Yes, I am always asking.)

Thank you for explaining for I look at is as a discussion, a sharing, but sometimes wonder if I'm being too 'definite' in my communication.

I agree with everything you say above and yes I do believe you have a natural skill as a catalyst for sharing thoughts. An admirable quality if I may say so.

The means to an end must personify the end itself. If we train to be better at something, then during that training we must demonstrate improvement. If we train for excellence, then we must excel during that process. It is not always about the destination, it's how we get there.

The means to an end must personify the end itself. If we train to be better at something, then during that training we must demonstrate improvement. If we train for excellence, then we must excel during that process. It is not always about the destination, it's how we get there.

Totally agreed.

The journey/process of getting there is the destination.

Lynn Seiser PhD
Yondan Aikido & FMA/JKD
We do not rise to the level of our expectations, but fall to the level of our training. Train well. KWATZ!